World Beyond the Mist
by Daphne Li
Summary: Sakura is on a cruise with her 3 best friends until a horrible storm hits and they wake up in a strange place. Now, Sakura and her friends have been kidnapped...by the Li kingdom! What do the Li's want? Read to find out! S S, T E, others
1. Default Chapter

Daphne: "Hello all! I am back, after a hectic month of testing and struggling to get through end-of-year torture, courtesy of the beings we know as 'teachers'. I have been working on all of my stories, but I have decided to also start this one, and see what you think…All right, I'll admit it. A friend of mine requested that I put this up so she could read it, and she threatened to throw Kero in the garbage (not that I would mind, on some days!), so how could I resist? Anyway, I am warning you right now that this is not your run-of-the-mill Sakura+Syaoran story. It may be a bit different, but I sort of like it, so what-the-hey?! Anyway, on with the story! (It will be horribly short, and I am sorry!)  
  
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World Beyond the Mist  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Prologue  
  
  
  
To my dearest daughter,  
  
You shall never receive this. The peace is gone and Namair is approaching his goal…but I shall never allow him to reach it. Only when the four stones of Rheum are returned to the 'frame', will peace return to our world. Four stones scattered in the dead of night, each must return to the hands of its color.  
  
The hands…soulmates, my daughter. Soulmates…but you shall never know. You are safe in their world. Your mother's world. And you, my daughter, will never know of us, god willing, my little flower will stay safe and never know of the horror that has taken place. Never…  
  
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A/N:  
  
Daphne: "Hi! I know that this was confusing…it even confused me…but it will get better! I have been working on this story for a while, and I will make everything clear in the later chapters. I do not want to give anything away, but I do want to assure you that this is a S+S fic! They just won't come in until later in the chapter…or should I say, Syaoran won't. Sakura will be in the next chapter. Now, you must have noticed by now that on a few of my stories, I have made a lesser character closer to Sakura than the others, such as in my story, "Palace of the Wolves", I made Naoko a main character. In this one the new main character will be…um…I can't really tell you…but you will like her, I hope! Anyway, I just want to ask you to please review and tell me what you think! I really want to know." 


	2. Saying goodbye.

Daphne: "Hi! I just had to put the first two chapters up together, so my reviewers wouldn't bale on me when they got confused about the first chapter. That 'letter' in the prologue will play a big if not huge role later in the story, so don't kill me yet! I really hope that you enjoy this chapter, and please, please, PLEASE review!!!!!!!!!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
World Beyond the Mist  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter one.  
  
  
  
*BRING!!!*  
  
"Finally! I thought that this day would never end!" Sixteen year old Kinomoto Sakura crowed out, running over to her three friends who were huddled together in the back of the room.  
  
"Honestly, Sakura! It was only a half day!" Her friend Naoko giggled out, her eyes brimming with suppressed excitement.  
  
"Hey, I agree with Sakura! We finally get to leave this hell house!" Chiharu added, throwing her arms out for good measure, as the other three girls giggled at her words.  
  
"I can't help it! I mean, we are leaving for Europe tomorrow! How can you stay so calm?" Chiharu asked, looking at Rika, who was suppressing her laughter.  
  
"Well, for one thing, we are not exactly going to Europe you know. We are taking my yacht and traveling around the islands for a full month!" Rika pointed out, her voice dripping with excitement. The other girls squealed with excitement and then Rika and Sakura crossed the street to their houses.  
  
"Be at the airport at six 'o' clock, sharp tomorrow morning. We don't want to leave you behind!" Rika laughed, reminding Sakura of her reputation for being late. Sakura groaned and parted from her friend with a grin. Rika's parents were rich, and as a Summer Brake surprise for the four friends, they had invited them to take a month-long cruise on the huge boat, which the girls eagerly agreed to. They were traveling alone, save for the few bodyguards that Rika's parents insisted that she take along, just in case.  
  
"Mom, I'm home!" Sakura yelled, as she entered the house. "Kero? Are you here?" As she said this, Sakura's mother, Kinomoto Nadeishiko entered the room and hugged her daughter.  
  
"How was your day?" She asked. Sakura groaned and hugged her mother, who laughed. Sakura, eyed her mother with pride. At thirty-nine, Nadeishiko was a beautiful older version of Sakura. They had the same wavy auburn hair, and the same emerald green eyes. In fact, as Sakura got older, it became quite hard to tell the difference between the two, save the fact that Sakura kept her hair cut just higher than her shoulder blades, and Nadeishiko's hair reached to her waist.  
  
"Sakura, when are we leaving?!" A small, yellow stuffed-animal creature flew into the room and hovered above Sakura's head.  
  
"Tomorrow, Kero." She answered, flinging herself down onto the couch and putting her head in her mother's lap.  
  
"Now remember. You can contact me on my cell-phone, but I won't be home for most of your vacation, and I may not even answer the phone. Take the Sakura Cards with you, just in case, and remember that I will ALWAYS love you." Nadeishiko said, gently running her fingers through her daughter's hair. Sakura nodded and winked at her mother.  
  
"The girls and I will have fun with the cards!" She said wickedly. Long ago, when Sakura was only ten and new to the area of Tomeda, Rika had caught her capturing the Fly Card, and had not hesitated to tell her friends, Chiharu and Naoko. They confronted their new classmate, and Sakura had admitted everything to them. After that, the four girls became inseparable. They had helped Sakura capture the cards, and they had been there when Nadeishiko showed Sakura how to personalize the card and transform them into Sakura Cards. Where her mother had gotten the Clow book in the first place, Sakura never knew; she had never seen any reason to ask.  
  
"Be careful, then, and don't draw attention to yourself. Oh, and hid your aura. I don't want any danger to come of you!" Nadeishiko added, slipping into her 'If-I-talk-like-a-royal-you-must-do-what-I-say' lingo. Sakura grinned at her and toyed with the necklace about her neck. It was a fake pink diamond, strung on a strange gold chain that sometimes seemed to be made out of nothing but air, it was so light. It was the only thing that she had that had belonged to her late father, Kinomoto Fujitaka. He and Sakura's older brother had died from a mysterious illness, and Nadeishiko never talked about it. Sakura could understand why. Her mother had been so incredibly in love with her father, and when he had died, she had spent days locked up in her room, leaving Sakura in the care of a friendly lady named Kaho. After she had recovered, Nadeishiko had been offered a job as a model and had immediately taken the job. After ten years of living in Tokyo, Japan, her mother had decided that a change of scenery was an issue, and she had moved Sakura and herself to the small town of Tomeda. Ever since then, Sakura had been so busy with the cards and school, that she had never really thought to ask her mother much about her father.  
  
Sakura felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Nadeishiko's loving, but mysteriously sad smile just above her.  
  
"I will always love you, no matter what happens." She repeated, stroking her daughter's hair. Sakura smiled lovingly back at her.  
  
"I know you will. And I will too." She whispered, sensing that something was saddening her mother, but not really worrying about it; who could, when they were about to embark on their first trip without parents?!  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	3. Thrown Overboard!

Daphne: "Hey! I just wanted to let you know that in this chapter, you will be introduced to Tomoyo and Yamazaki. It may be a little confusing at first, but eventually, you should start to understand what has happened to Sakura and her friends. I am not sure if I am going to bring Syaoran into the story in the next chapter or not…hum…Anyway, I hope that you are enjoying the story, and I want to remind you to keep reviewing!!!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
World Beyond the Mist  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 2.  
  
  
  
  
  
"This is so cool!" Chiharu squealed for the thirty-second time that week. The four girls had arrived in Europe on Saturday, and had taken one day to recuperate from their trip, before getting on the yacht, "The Lady Luck". It was now Wednesday, and Chiharu was leaning over the railing of the upper deck, looking out at the sea below her. The other three girls were lounging on beach-chairs and sipping fruit drinks in the shade of two large umbrellas. Kero was in between Sakura and Rika, reclining on a miniature beach towel, and looking at the sky through his miniature sun-glasses.  
  
"I have to agree. It is so nice and relaxing here." Naoko piped up, pulling a book out of her pocket and beginning to read. She was wearing thigh-high white shorts and a light blue tank top. Rika was next to her wearing an exotic purple skirt and a white peasant-blouse. Sakura was on her other side, in a light pink halter top and light blue Capri's. Chiharu was wearing a one-piece, yellow sun-dress that had a floaty skirt and no sleeves. Instead, it had small straps that tied around her neck.  
  
"Yah, not to cold, not too hot…just right!" Kero murmured, making the girls smile.  
  
"You sound like 'Goldilocks'." Sakura said, toying with her necklace. It was then that the necklace caught the sunlight and Sakura noticed something. Carved lightly into the stone was a flower! Again the fake diamond caught the light and this time, it threw tiny beams of pink light everywhere. Sakura smiled and then let the necklace fall back into place.  
  
"Wow!" Naoko gasped, sitting bolt upright in her chair and pointing at a passage in her book.  
  
"Listen to this! 'The world of the Fairies is thought to be heavily guarded by a thick fog bank, similar to the ones around some small islands in Ireland. It is impossible to get through the mist…alive…'" Naoko stopped reading and Rika snorted.  
  
"What a bunch of rubbish." She laughed, flicking her hand disdainfully at the book. Sakura rolled her eyes and Kero simply turned over. Chiharu, however, had begun to shake.  
  
"Um…guys…look." She pointed a shaking finger at something, and Sakura got up to see. Immediately, she clapped a hand over her mouth and a feint gurgle made its way to her throat. The boat was heading straight for a cloud of white mist; a fog bank! It was the that the girls noticed that everything had gone quiet. Too quiet.  
  
"What is going on?!" Rika shrieked, her usual calm self lost in the breeze. It was obvious that Naoko's story had freaked her out. A male bodyguard came rushing up the stairs and he explained that the engine had died, but that the captain was fixing it.  
  
"Oh, all right…" Rika sighed, but her words were cut off as the boat began to sway dangerously from side to side, and the sun was blocked by heavy storm clouds. Huge waves were now cresting against the boat, causing it to rock more than ever.  
  
"Get inside!" The bodyguard shouted, running down the stairs again in a hurry to get to safety. The girls were being thrown from side to side and none of them seemed to know how to keep their footing. Naoko was clutching to the railing and whimpering, while Chiharu was yelling something incoherent. Rika's wails filled the air and Sakura's screams soon joined them as she was flung from the deck and only saved by the railing, which she grasped with cold fingers. Kero flew into Sakura's pocket, yelling something about using the Star Key. But before she could, the boat gave a mighty jolt, which threw the girls over the railing and into the icy water below. The first thing that Sakura noticed was that her lungs were burning with lack of air.  
  
'That's funny.' She thought fuzzily, as she opened her mouth to breath. Water filled it and Sakura's eyes flew open, as she returned to full consciousness. In a panic, she thrashed around, trying to reach the surface. When she finally got there, she gasped in a big breath of air and then noticed that it was pouring rain, and the droplets were getting into her eyes.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
Sakura turned to see Rika, Chiharu, and Naoko clinging to a piece of wood. They maneuvered the board over to her and Rika helped her to grasp it.  
  
"What next?" Chiharu sobbed, her eyes wild with fear. Sakura looked over her shoulder and immediately wished that those words had never left her friend's mouth. She gave a terrified scream, and the girls whirled around to see a gigantic wave towering over them. It crashed down, and the last thing that Sakura saw was her three friends being torn away from the board.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Hurry Yamazaki!"  
  
A boy with light black hair and ice-blue eyes turned and looked at his companion, a petite girl with long ebony hair and bright amethyst eyes. The appearance of the two was shockingly unlike what we are used to today. The boy was quite tall and muscular and he was wearing what looked to be a pair of old-fashioned knee-breaches. He had on a loose white shirt that tucked into his pants, and had strings at the neck to tie together. His overall appearance seemed normal…to a point, but his ears were slightly more pointed than what we are used to.  
  
The girl, on the otherhand, seemed completely normal as well, save for her cloths. She was wearing a long, floaty purple silk dress that reached to the ground. It's neckline was low and rounded, and the sleeves were short and puffy. Its waist-line was high, and it was tied with a velvet purple ribbon. She wore shoes that resembled ballet slippers, and in all, she looked like she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine…for the early eighteen-hundreds.  
  
"Really, Tomoyo. Are you positive that you saw…"  
  
"I know what I saw, Zack!" She insisted, using his nickname. He sighed and his eyes scanned the deserted stretch of beach, that was at the edge of a huge, dense forest. Suddenly, they spotted something  
  
"There!" He pointed and than ran over to the place, the girl on his heals.  
  
"I don't believe it! Real mortals! And they are alive…I think…"  
  
"Of course they are. But how can you tell that they are mortals?" The girl, Tomoyo asked. Yamazaki smiled.  
  
"Have you ever seen clothes like that, here?" He asked, pointing at one of the figures who was wearing what looked to be a yellow dress, except that the skirt was scandalously short. In all, there were four figures and all of them seemed to be female.  
  
"Well, we can't simply leave them here. Let's take them back to the queen. She will know what to do with them." At Tomoyo's words, Yamazaki immediately got nervous.  
  
"Are you sure that the queen wouldn't…you know…dispose of them?" He asked, thinking about the mysterious queen that ruled over their home with an iron fist. Tomoyo glared at him.  
  
"I am sure that she will do just as she thinks right. Now come on! We have to get them some help." She said, and then closed her eyes in concentration. Suddenly, out of her back unfolded a lovely pair of translucent, light purple…wings! Butterfly-like wings that seemed to make the girl seem even more graceful. The boy sighed again, but then he concentrated and after a few seconds, a pair of yellowish-white wings had unfolded from his back. He reached down and picked two of the girls up. One had short brown hair, and the other, was the one he had pointed at, with the dress. Both of their faces were pale and the girl in the dress had a bruise on her cheek…but all-in-all, she was lovely. For a minute, Yamazaki stood, transfixed, his eyes widening a bit in awe.  
  
"Zack, stare later!" Tomoyo sighed, rolling her eyes and picking up the last two girls. One had curly red-brown hair, and the other had wavy auburn hair that was still a bit wet. Again, Tomoyo concentrated, and suddenly, she disappeared. In her place hovered tiny, glowing purple light. Yamazaki followed her lead, and a tiny, yellow light took his place. The two lights blinked, and then a tiny bell-like ring came from one of them. The other answered with a deeper ring, and then the two lights zipped away into the forest.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	4. The Nightmarish scene

Daphne: "I am making this chapter short, because…I feel like it! Also, I would like to warn you that the S+S and T+E parts will not be coming for a while. I will try to add them in as soon as possible, but…it may not work out! Sorry! Anyway, I really hope that you are enjoying this story, and I want to thank everyone who has reviewed! It really boosted my spirits!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
World Beyond the Mist  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 3.  
  
  
  
  
  
King Hiiragizawa Eriol yawned and looked down at the Head of Guard, who was now telling Queen Li Yelan of the attack that his army had made on the Daidouji kingdom a few weeks past. The man had been going on for hours about every little detail of the attack, and everyone was becoming bored. Eriol yawned again and then looked over at his cousin, Prince Li Syaoran. He was the same age as Eriol, seventeen, but the similarities ended there. While Eriol was kind and always had a smile for everyone (though, the smile was usually more of a smirk), Syaoran was stiff and emotionless. He couldn't care less about having friends, and the only thing that he really DID care about was his fighting technique. Syaoran was also preparing to become the next King of the Li kingdom, which didn't make his attitude any better.  
  
"…we will have to work on that." The guard said as he finally left. Queen Yelan gave a relieved sigh, and looked out over the gathering place, where many of the royals were yawning and sleeping.  
  
"Well, now onto more interesting subjects. Bubble, show us the current events in the outside world!" She commanded, waving her hand at a large bubble floating in the middle of the arena. It was a black bubble, but as she spoke, it's color swirled, and it expanded, allowing a scene to show through its walls. Eriol sat up and noticed that Syaoran did the same. Watching the bubble was one of the more interesting aspects of these meetings. Little did either boy know that this viewing would change their lives, forever.  
  
As the crowd watched, the bubble showed a stormy sea, and a large boat, a yacht, as the mortals called them. Then the bubble zoomed in on the boat deck and everyone gasped. Clutching helplessly to the railing were four terrified girls. Something yellow flew into one of the girls' pockets, and for a brief moment, she let go of the railing. As she did so, the boat hit into a reef, and caused it to jolt violently. The four girls were mercilessly thrown overboard into the freezing waters. A flash of strong, pink aura exploded into the storm, and then disappeared. The bubble focused on an area of water, were the four girls now floated. One girl yelled something to the others, and then another screamed, and a huge, towering wave crested over them. For a moment, it seemed that the girls had drowned, but then, there was another flash of aura, this time, pink mixed with blue, and the girls appeared again, floating lifelessly in the ocean; either unconscious or dead.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Queen Yelan shouted, causing the bubble to quickly shrink back to its normal size and then float away. The scene that had just played was not a new one, there had been many like it, before, but…this one shipwreck had had something else. Something that caused the queen and some of the more upstanding royals to watch the unfolding drama with more horror than usual; the auras. Never before had such strong aura's ever been involved with a shipwreck such as this one. But it was not the auras themselves that were making the royals uneasy, it was the sources of the auras. One had obviously come from one of the girls, but the other…  
  
Eriol looked over at Syaoran and met his eyes. Then their eyes communicated the two words that were forbidden to say in the Li kingdom.  
  
'Clow Cards!'  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	5. Queen Daidouji revealed!

Daphne: "Hi! Fifth chapter, finally! I am so happy to get it written. I am trying to write up my other two stories at the same time, so bare with me! It may take me a while to update, but I will try to get it done as soon as possible! Thanks to all of you who have reviewed!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
The World Beyond the Mist  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter. 4  
  
  
  
Black. That was all Sakura could see, all she could feel. Voices filtered dully through her mind, mixing together and becoming jumbled masses of nothing. She tried to call out for help, but no sound left her lips. She tried to reach for comfort, but none could be found.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
That voice! She knew that voice!  
  
"Sakura, please wake up!" It called again, louder this time, but still, so far away. Then other voices started to work themselves out of the nothingness.  
  
"So we are where?!"  
  
"The world of the Fairies."  
  
"I read about it in a book! It is supposed to be really hard to find! We are lucky."  
  
"Lucky?! Have you lost your mind? Our parents are going to miss us! They will have to whole national guard out looking for us, but where will we be? In a damn place where no one can find us!"  
  
"Chiharu! Watch your mouth!"  
  
"Did you know what swearing was originally started when a cave man accidentally dropped his club on his foot?"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Lies, lies, lies!"  
  
Sakura looked around anxiously, trying to place the voices. Suddenly, a light appeared underneath her, and she knew that everything would be all right. She jumped into the pool of light, and then opened her eyes.  
  
"Sakura! You're awake!" Chiharu squealed, forgetting about the argument she was having with the strange boy. She ran over and hugged her friend tightly.  
  
"I thought you would never wake up!"  
  
"How long have I been asleep?" Sakura asked, looking around in confusion. She was in a warm, well furnished room, surrounded by her three friends and two other people that she didn't know.  
  
"About two days." The strange girl answered, coming forward and sitting on the edge of the bed. She had long raven colored locks, and bright amethyst eyes. She was wearing a very strange lavender dress, and…she had wings! Translucent lavender wings!  
  
"What are you?" Sakura asked, and then clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh! I am sorry! I had no right…"  
  
"No, no it is all right!" The girl laughed. "I am just as curious about you, as you are about me! And I am a fairy." She said softly. Sakura's friends were stunned when, instead of looking surprised, Sakura simply nodded and then smiled at the girl.  
  
"So this is what a fairy looks like. I have always wondered." She giggled, making the strange boy stand up and put his finger in the air.  
  
"Did you know that humans were originally…"  
  
"Lies, lies, and more lies!" Chiharu exclaimed, hitting him up-side the head, and causing Rika and Naoko to laugh. Sakura looked at them uncertainly, but smiled anyway. the fairy girl rolled her eyes and grinned.  
  
"I am Tomoyo, by the way. And he is Yamazaki." She said, looking pointedly at the boy Chiharu was now pounding to a pulp.  
  
"And Sakura! You will never guess where we are!" Naoko said in an excited voice, jumping up on the bed.  
  
"Um…Fairy World?" Sakura guessed, causing Naoko's face to drop.  
  
"Darn! I wanted to tell you myself!" She whined. Rika elbowed her and then smiled.  
  
"I heard you talking when I was still half asleep. Now that we know where we are…where in Fairy World, are we?" Sakura asked.  
  
"You are presently in Daidouji kingdom, in the castle of Queen Daidouji. She has been waiting to see you. Come." Tomoyo got up and helped Sakura off the bed. Then she lead the group out of the room.  
  
"This is the single most confusing thing that I have ever been through." Chiharu commented, as they walked through the brightly lit hallways. Yamazaki grinned at her.  
  
"Join the club!" He chuckled, making the girls laugh.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Bring them in." The black-haired girl with pigtails instructed. Tomoyo had left them when she had gone to speak with the queen, and they had not seen her since. Meiling, the girl with pig-tails, had taken over where Tomoyo left off. As they entered the queen's chambers, Yamazaki took the time to explain a bit about their queen.  
  
"She is our age, but her father died when she was small, and her mother disappeared when she was ten. She became queen too early in life, and that has left its mark. She always wears a veil over her face; they say it is because she is ugly, but I am not so sure. She is heartless but wise. She has no mercy for anyone, unless she feels they deserve it, so you had best be careful what you say to her…" He trailed off as they entered a large, well furnished room. Sitting on a large, overstuffed throne, in regal- looking robes, sat the queen. She was quite a tiny, fragile looking thing, and the veil she wore over her head was black.  
  
"Welcome to my kingdom. I am Queen Daidouji." She said in a sharp, clipped voice. Everyone but Sakura winced at the words. Sakura, however, was more interested in the warm purple aura emanating from the woman; an aura that Sakura had felt not long before then!  
  
"You are my guests, but for your protection, you will work as servants here." The queen announced.  
  
"For our protection?!" Chiharu spat out, anger flaring from her eyes. The queen was not phased.  
  
"Yes. If either of my enemies, the Li's, or the Hiiragizawa's were to find out that you are mortals, they would surly do far worse to you than I have!" She said in a sharp voice. All the girls shivered.  
  
"Now, I need one lady-in-waiting, and the rest of you will work in the gardens and libraries." At this, all the girls looked at each other, not wanting to have to be the one to take the job as Lady-in-waiting.  
  
"I'll do it." Sakura whispered, coming forward, and ignoring her friends horrified looks. The queen nodded, and then motioned the others out. Sakura waved goodbye to her friends, and then turned to the queen.  
  
"Follow me." The queen commanded, leading Sakura out of the room and down a long hallway. The queen led her to a long room, furnished with fine furniture and colorful drapes. All along the walls hung pictures of royal- looking men and women. There were lots of pictures of young children as well.  
  
"This is the picture room. All the kings and queens of Fairy World are pictured here." The queen said.  
  
"Oh! Is your picture here…Tomoyo?" Sakura asked slyly. The queen gasped and turned to face her.  
  
"How…did you…"  
  
"Your aura. It was the same. Don't worry, I won't tell. I can understand why you do it." Sakura whispered, walking over to the frightened girl and folding back the veil. Tomoyo's pale face came into view, and she smiled weakly at Sakura.  
  
"I just wanted to know what it was like…to be normal." Tomoyo explained, causing Sakura to giggle.  
  
"Sometimes, I wish I knew!" She laughed, turning back to the portraits on the wall. One particular picture caught Sakura's attention and held it.  
  
It was a portrait of two laughing young women, sitting on a swing, underneath a cherry tree. Both women had auburn hair, but one had long, wavy hair, while the other boasted short, straight locks. Also, the short haired woman had blue eyes, while the other had bright green ones, that seemed to laugh at Sakura. Going by the scenery around them, it was late spring. Sakura could not pull her eyes away from the green-eyed woman, though. It was as if she had met that woman before…somewhere…  
  
"That is that is my mother and her sister, Queen Kinomoto Nadeishiko. She disappeared sixteen years ago with her daughter, and then her husband, King Kinomoto Fujitaka, disappeared with their son a few days later. They say she even took the famous Clow Cards with her, but that has never been proven." Tomoyo sighed. Sakura collapsed on a chair, with her head in her hands.  
  
"This can't be true! It can't!" She mumbled, trying to sort out her thoughts. Tomoyo frowned.  
  
"Why can it not be true?" She asked. Sakura looked up, her face pale.  
  
"Because I am Kinomoto Sakura. Kinomoto Nadeishiko is my mother!" 


	6. Kidnapped!

Daphne: "Hey all! I am going to make this short, because I want to get on with the story. I just want to say the Cardcaptor Sakura does not belong to me…duh! If it did, Tomoyo and Eriol would be together! Anyway, I want to thank all of you who have reviewed, and I hope that you like this chapter! I have been having trouble getting onto the web-site, so I have been holding off up-loading my chapters until now. Sorry! I just wanted to let you know that it has finally cooperated, and I can freely put the chapters up again! YAY!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
World Beyond the Mist  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 5.  
  
  
  
  
  
"What?!" Tomoyo gasped, her lovely amethyst eyes widening in shock. Sakura nodded weakly.  
  
"Then…did she really take the Clow Cards…?"  
  
"Sakura Cards. Mother helped me to transform them, after I captured them. You see, when I opened the book, there was a little mishap, and I have to recapture them with the help of my friends. And Kero." Sakura added. Tomoyo frowned slightly.  
  
"Who is Kero?" She asked.  
  
"I am! I am the Guardian Beast of the Seal, Cerberus. But you can call me Kero." Kero exclaimed, popping up from Sakura's pocket and hovering in front of Tomoyo's face. The poor, forgotten Guardian Beast of the Seal was looking quite ruffled, with his fur going all which way, and his eyes all dizzy. The raven-haired girl gasped and then gently plucked him out of the air.  
  
"You look water-logged!" She commented, using her veil to rub him down.  
  
"Kero! Oh, I'm sorry! I completely forgot about you!" Sakura apologized, her eyes showing her guilt. Kero sighed and nodded, accepting her apology. Tomoyo grinned.  
  
"So you are what my enemies are after! Boy, if they knew I had you, or the Cards mistress, they would be after me in a minute!" She commented. Kero frowned.  
  
"The Li's and the Hiiragizawa's, am I correct? Hmm…King Hiiragizawa Eriol is the reincarnate of Clow Reed, is he not? Well, that could be interesting…" Kero mussed. Sakura looked confused.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, Tomoyo is right. If they knew you were here, they would want you for their own! Both kings are your age, young lady, and the elders would not hesitate to marry you off to one of them, just so they would have your power on their side. They might even force you to use it against your own family." Kero pointed out.  
  
"But I don't have any family here…"  
  
"Ahem?! You have *me* you know! I am your cousin, after all!" Tomoyo reminded her.  
  
"Oh, right! Sorry!" Sakura sighed. Then she nodded.  
  
"I will have to conceal my aura, so no one will know." She said thoughtfully. Tomoyo nodded and smiled.  
  
"After you do that, you should lead a perfectly normal life here. As long as Yamazaki doesn't find out, that is." Tomoyo mussed. At these words, Sakura became confused.  
  
"But I thought that Yamazaki was your friend." She whispered. Tomoyo sighed.  
  
"He is. But, he is also a spy for the Li kingdom. He is the son of a lesser king, and he is King Li's cousin. I am absolutely sure that Yamazaki is trustworthy, though. He is a nice boy, and I know that he doesn't want to betray me anymore…but there is the fact that there are other spies here, who would not hesitate to turn us in, so you had better keep this from him."  
  
"So…he is a spy for the Li kingdom. Well, we will just have to show him that we are not as bad as we seem. I am sure that with a little persuasion, we can turn him to our way of thinking." Sakura said, a happy glint in her eyes. She honestly wanted to be Yamazaki's friend, and she knew that Chiharu was starting to like Yamazaki as well.  
  
"I think that we should keep this information from my friends as well. They trust Yamazaki, but that may change if they found out the truth. They know about me, though, and they have promised not to tell." Sakura added. Kero nodded.  
  
"I will be with you all the time, but I will have to do my stuffed-animal impression a lot, and you know how much I hate that!" He muttered, causing Tomoyo and Sakura to burst out laughing.  
  
"I think that I could get used to this!" Tomoyo whispered, squeezing Sakura's hand as they walked back towards Tomoyo's rooms. Sakura smiled.  
  
"Even though I will miss my mother, I honestly think that this is the best place for us to be, at present. I think that I could grow to love it just as much as you do." She whispered back.  
  
With that, the two girls walked into Tomoyo's rooms, and into a new life for both of them, never knowing what Sakura's arrival in her home world would eventually lead too.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
*Two years Later!*  
  
"Oh, Sakura! You look absolutely lovely!"  
  
"We all do!" Naoko added to Rika's exclamation.  
  
"Tomoyo, how on earth did you manage it?!" Chiharu asked, as she spun around in front of the mirror. All the girls were in new dresses, compliments of Tomoyo.  
  
"I asked the queen for some material and she gave me all of this, on the promise that I make her one too." Tomoyo said, eyeing the girls critically. At her words, Sakura giggled.  
  
"She is very kind." She managed to say, before a wave of mirth overtook her. Sakura was wearing a floaty pink dress with long, scooped sleeves, and a neckline a bit lower than what she was used to. Her bum-length auburn hair was pulled up onto the top of her head in curls, and somehow fastened onto it, was a decorative pink veil. The other girls were in similar dresses, except Naoko's was light yellow, Rika's was celestial-blue, and Chiharu's was pale green. Naoko's hair had gown out to just below her shoulder-blades and it was pulled back with combs. A yellow veil similar to Sakura's was twined in her hair. Rika's waist-length hair was pulled up in a sea-shell design, and it too, boasted a light blue veil. Chiharu's waist- length hair was pulled back into braids, and then twined about her head. A light green veil finished off the picture.  
  
"You all look stunning." Yamazaki said, his eyes sparkling at them. Chiharu smiled and walked over to him, shaking her hips slightly.  
  
"Do we turn you on, you big hunky man with a deep voice?" She teased in a silky voice. The other girls burst into laughter as Yamazaki's face turned bright red.  
  
"Um…I am not going to grace that with an answer." He said snottily, trying to keep from laughing. This simply caused Chiharu to laugh and do a little victory dance. Suddenly, Meiling burst into the room, her pigtails flying.  
  
"Tomoyo, do you know where the queen is? She is needed down in the throne room. Someone is here to see her." The black haired girl looked unnaturally flushed, and her eyes were brimming with suppressed nervousness. Tomoyo looked at Sakura and then nodded.  
  
"Sakura and I will go find her." She said, taking Sakura's hand and running out of the room.  
  
"Rika, Chiharu and I will go to the throne room." Naoko said, as they too, rushed out of the room. It was then that Yamazaki faced Meiling, his face unusually pale.  
  
"You can't do this! What has she ever done to you?!" He hissed, causing Meiling to smirk.  
  
"I can and I did." She chirped, skipping out of the room. Yamazaki growled and raced for the throne room, his mind registering on only one thing. Saving his friends.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Now…" Sakura turned to Tomoyo, as soon as they reached Tomoyo's rooms. "We need you there with us so…" She summoned her staff and then held up the mirror card.  
  
"Mirror! Reflect Queen Daidouji's image and act as a decoy for her!" Sakura instructed. Mirror nodded and in a moment, the 'Queen' stood in front of them. Sakura had done this many times in the last two years, to make it easier for Tomoyo to sneak out without being noticed. No one had ever suspected Tomoyo of being the queen, and Sakura was determined to keep it that way.  
  
"All right, come on!" Tomoyo called, grabbing Sakura's hand and allowing Mirror to lead the way down to the throne room. Kero grinned at the girls and then quickly dove into the secret pocket in Sakura's dress, that Tomoyo had made specially for him. As the two girls entered the throne room behind the 'queen', they spotted Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko standing beside the door, all of them pale-looking and scared.  
  
"Sakura…" Chiharu choked, her eyes filling with horrified tears. Tomoyo and Sakura looked at her in confusion.  
  
"Wha…" Sakura began, but something was tossed over her head, muffling the rest of her sentence. Tomoyo gave a terrified shriek, as she received the same treatment. In fact, everyone in the room, except for Yamazaki and Meiling seemed to be getting it. Meiling was standing beside a group of enemy soldiers, looking quite pleased with herself; Yamazaki, however, was yelling angrily at the men, and even attacking the one holding the struggling Chiharu. One of the soldiers rolled his eyes and then lifted a sword above Yamazaki's head. Before the young man could react, the dull side of the sword contacted with his head, sending him into unconsciousness. With one final scream, the whole world went dark for Sakura, and she felt no more. 


	7. Betrayal and a trip.

Daphne: "Hi! I have the next chapter, and I am so happy to have it done! In this chapter, you will meet Tory, who is really Kinomoto Touya, crown prince of the Kinomoto kingdom. They are one and the same person, just with a different name. Well, I think that is all you need to know! I just want to thank all my reviewers out there! And please keep reviewing! It really makes me feel nice to read all the comments…yes, even the flames, because then I know I am doing something wrong! Well, that's all for now! Bye!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
World Beyond the Mists  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 6.  
  
  
  
  
  
"We have them, Auntie! It was almost too easy!" A girl with long, black pigtails gloated, her red/brown eyes sparkling. King Li's mother, Li Yelan turned and looked at her niece with pleasure.  
  
"Good, Meiling. I expect Queen Daidouji has some valuable information on the whereabouts of Clow Reed's secret room." King Hiiragizawa Eriol stated slyly. King Li Syaoran growled.  
  
"She had better!" He hissed, a deadly look in his eye. He was slightly stooped, because his cousin and fiancee, Li Meiling, was clinging to his neck. She had been spying for the Li kingdom over the past six years, and had come to dislike the queen. Tomoyo and Sakura, however, were a different story. She liked them well enough, and it had pained her to see them betrayed…but even so…it was nice to be home, and with her Syaoran!  
  
"Oh, but I have to warn you! Yamazaki has betrayed us. Sided with them, and he even attacked one of the soldiers." Meiling said, making Yelan frown in anger.  
  
"Yamazaki? My sister's son has betrayed us?! Curse him! He shall pay!" Yelan threatened, just as a guard stepped into the room with a bundle in his arms.  
  
"Here they are, Majesty." He said, indicating his burden. With a slight heave, he threw it onto the floor, and out rolled…Yamazaki. He was unconscious and his forehead wielded a large, bloody bump. Six more bundles were tossed into the room, each revealing another prisoner. The second one held a girl wearing a light-green dress and a veil that covered her face. The second girl wore a light yellow dress and veil. The third wore blue. The fourth was obviously the queen, in her royal garments and heavy black veil. And the final two…held more girls. One wore a light lavender dress and veil, and the other wore a lovely pink ensemble with a pink veil shielding her face from view. The last girl was conscious, but just barely.  
  
The one in pink weakly struggled over to the lavender girl, and rested a hand on her shoulder. Then her veiled head turned to Meiling, and simply stared at her. It was obvious she was upset and hurt by her betrayal, and that she was more than aware of what had happened.  
  
"Oh, Meiling…" A soft, sweet voice trilled from the girl in pink, just before she fell limp, her head lulling onto the lavender girl's arm, and her pale hand gracefully falling across the other girl's heart, as if in an omen. Meiling started, and then looked down, tears filling her eyes.  
  
"Sakura…" She breathed, realizing the extent of what she had just done. Yelan was staring at the girl in pink, her face pale, and Syaoran's eyes had widened, just a bit. Eriol was frowning slightly in pity. Then he turned to Yelan.  
  
"We had best get them to the arena." He murmured, shaking his head, as though to clear it. Yelan nodded, and motioned to the guards. They came forward and dragged the girls and Yamazaki away.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Sakura? Oh, Sakura! Please wake up!" A voice hissed. Sakura whimpered and tried to turn over, but something was trapping her hands above her head. She whimpered again, trying desperately to wake up, but something was pushing against her consciousness, keeping her mind black.  
  
"Tomoyo!" She tried to yell, but no sound left her mouth. With one more superhuman attempt, she let out a terrified scream and broke through the barrier between consciousness and unconsciousness. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she screwed her eyes closed, hoping that her whole dream about Meiling had been false. But almost immediately, she knew that it hadn't. As she tentatively reached out with her magic, she felt Meiling's weak aura nearby. Next to it was a strong green aura, that Sakura had never felt before. But somehow, she knew who this one belonged to as well; King Li Syaoran. Sakura slowly opened her eyes, as she heard a sharp voice boom out.  
  
"Shut up, foolish girl!" It was a man's voice, obviously the King's, and it frightened her, but fear did not stop the angry Yamazaki from stating his mind.  
  
"You shut up! Can't you see she's frightened? And waking up in a strange place with strange, *BAKA* people in it, isn't helping her much!" The irate young man yelled, anger lacing his every word. After this speech, Sakura had to smile a bit, but it didn't last long, as she gazed at her new surroundings. They were in a large, arena-like place, with fairy people surrounding them at every corner. And all present were enemies.  
  
Sakura looked over and spotted Tomoyo next to her. Beside Tomoyo was Chiharu and a very exhausted-looking Yamazaki. Beside him were Naoko and Rika, both girls looking shaken, but otherwise, fine. Mirror, or the 'queen', was on the other side of Rika, the black veil still covering her face. Then Sakura noticed that her hands were chained above her head, and her feet were bound up as well. In fact, all of the group was chained up. They were at the bottom of the arena, lined up along one wall, with the royalty across from them.  
  
"What gives you the right to yell at me, traitor?" Sakura watched as a figure, obviously King Li, stood up. Through her veil, which hung over her face, it was hard to see him clearly. His voice was hard and had an edge of steel to it. Sakura knew that her friend was in trouble.  
  
"Please! He meant no harm. He was only worried about me…" She trailed off, as the King turned his deadly glare on her. She may have not been able to see clearly, but she certainly could feel his hatred towards her, racing through the air between them. She faltered and cowered closer to the wall at her back.  
  
"He meant every harm. You are and enemy, and he has no right to 'worry about' people like you." The king snapped, which caused something else to snap as well; Sakura's temper.  
  
"I may be an enemy, but you are a monster! You have no right to offend us in such a way! You may talk big, but you are a coward if you insist on putting other people below your feet and crushing the wills out of them, just for your own amusement!" She hissed, her voice causing razors to cut at the royals consciousness' and making them back up a bit. It also caused a magical wind to whip around her, blowing the annoying veil away from her, and her friends faces; Only the 'Queen's' veil stayed in place. Sakura's friends stared at her in astonishment. She *never* lost her tamper, at anything! Sakura was the calmest of them all, and it unsettled her friends to see her so angry. Only Tomoyo understood the true reason of Sakura's anger. Sakura had caught sight of the one person who could have stopped this whole thing, if not for her hatred…King Li's mother, Li Yelan! Sakura's mother and Yelan had been close friends, and it hurt Sakura that Yelan would allow her son to invade the Daidouji kingdom, just because she was angry with Sakura's mother about 'betraying' the Li kingdom and marrying into the Kinomoto royalty.  
  
It was obvious to Tomoyo because, not only was Sakura yelling words that applied to both Yelan, and her son, but she was also staring straight at Yelan, during and after her speech. Yelan seemed to notice this as well, because as soon as Sakura's veil had moved out of the way, she looked into the girl's emerald eyes and balked. With a stunned jerk, she stood up from her seat and looked at Sakura, as though she was gazing at a ghost.  
  
"No! You disappeared years ago! You are dead!" Yelan breathed, clutching at the back of her seat, so she would not fall. Some of the hurt and anger melted from Sakura's eyes.  
  
"I believe that you are speaking of Queen Nadeishiko, are you not?" Sakura asked softly. Yelan, as is hypnotized, nodded and sat back down in her seat, weakly. Now everyone's eyes were on Sakura, who looked as if she did not like it at all.  
  
"You do hold an uncanny likeness of her…" A young man murmured, standing up and gliding down the stairs, toward the prisoners. Tomoyo shuddered and moved closer to Sakura.  
  
"Don't let him touch you! That is King Hiiragizawa, reincarnate of Clow Reed! If he recognizes you, we are doomed!" Tomoyo breathed, her amethyst eyes wide with horror. Sakura nodded and eyed the King warningly. He simply smirked and moved closer to them.  
  
"Your threatening me will do you no good, little servant girl." He simpered, his eyes roving over them. "Yelan, perhaps you would like to tell the prisoners why they are here?" He suggested, his eyes landing on Tomoyo and staying there, making the girl shift uncomfortably. Yelan nodded and stood up, still eyeing Sakura.  
  
"We have reason to believe that you have information about the whereabouts of Clow Reed's secret room." Yelan stated, causing Tomoyo to jump, and look at the woman as is she were crazy.  
  
"WHAT?!?!" She shouted.  
  
"Nutters! The lot of them!" Chiharu raged.  
  
"Ridiculous! I have been there two years, and I know for a fact that they have no idea where it is. They, however, are not looking for it either!" Yamazaki snapped, causing his family too look at him accusingly.  
  
"She does not know!" Sakura added in her sweet voice, causing many people to gaze at her admiringly.  
  
"I have no idea what you are speaking about." The 'queen' finally spoke up, her veiled head turning towards Yelan.  
  
"Silence! We do not believe you, and for that, you are going on a journey!" King Li yelled, causing Sakura to turn pale and the others to back up against the wall.  
  
"Wh…what do you mean?" The 'queen' asked. King Hiiragizawa grinned.  
  
"King Li and I are going to escort you on a little…trip to find Clow Reed's room, Queen Daidouji. And to prove his loyalty to us, Yamazaki will accompany us.  
  
"I'm coming too! I want to be with my Syaoran!" Meiling shrilled, clutching at King Li's arm, and causing him to glare at her.  
  
"I am coming as well! I am not allowing Yamazaki to go with you, alone in his condition!" Chiharu stated, moving closer to Yamazaki. King Hiiragizawa smirked.  
  
"Looks like we are going to have a procession. Anyone else?" He asked, turning his own glare to the rest of the girls. The 'queen' moved forward a bit.  
  
"I wish only one thing. Allow my ladies-in-waiting, Sakura and Tomoyo to accompany me. I do not wish to be alone with *you*." She stated. Tomoyo and Sakura breathed sighs of relief as King Hiiragizawa nodded in agreement.  
  
"What are to become of Rika and Naoko?" Tomoyo finally asked, indicating the pale, but defiant girls next to the 'queen'. Yelan eyed them for a moment, and then turned to some noble-looking men near her seat.  
  
"King Magyar, Lord Ephrium, would you accept duty over these girls? They are your charges now." Yelan stated, as the young men nodded. Yelan turned back to the 'queen'.  
  
"Are you happy now? They will be safe with King Magyar and Lord Ephrium, and *if* you return, they will be waiting here for you. They shall not be harmed, I promise." Yelan said, when the 'queen' began to protest.  
  
"Now, we will provide you with everything you need. Tomorrow, you will begin on your journey." Yelan stated, as she stood up and dismissed them. Then she, her son, and everyone but King Hiiragizawa and some guards left.  
  
"They really are decent, once you get to know them." The King mussed, eyeing Yelan's back. Tomoyo frowned at him.  
  
"I highly doubt that any of you are decent, seeing as what happened today." She snapped, looking up at her wrists which were now red and bleeding for her struggles against the metal cuffs. The King sighed, and waved his hand as them. Immediately, the cuffs fell off, and their hands and feet were free! But he wasn't done yet. He waved his hand again and they were all healed. Tomoyo fingered her perfect wrists, and Sakura even managed to smile a 'thank-you' at him, before the guards jostled them away.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Let me get this straight. Meiling was a spy as well, and *she* was the one who betrayed us?" Tomoyo breathed, after Yamazaki explained everything to them. They were sitting in a richly decorated room, in the Li palace. Guards surrounded the whole room, but none were allowed inside the room, on order from the King's mother, Li Yelan.  
  
"Yes." Yamazaki and Sakura said in unison.  
  
"I woke up last night, just after they 'presented' us to the royals. I saw her next to the King, and I figured everything out." Sakura whispered. She sighed and put her head in her hands.  
  
"When are we to leave?" Chiharu whined listlessly. Earlier that morning, guards had come and taken Rika and Naoko away to their new homes, and everyone else was upset by their leaving.  
  
"Well, just as soon as my cousin and his fiancee are ready…"  
  
"Which they are. Time to go." King Eriol stated, coming into the room, and taking the 'queen's' arm. Everyone but Sakura found reason to glare at him and silently followed him out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"What is expected of us?" 'Queen Daidouji' asked, as they met up with the Li's in the front hall. Yelan turned to her and handed Meiling a knapsack full of what looked like food.  
  
"You are going to show my son and King Hiiragizawa where Clow Reed's secret room is." She said calmly. Chiharu huffed.  
  
"Why can't oh-great-and-mighty-I-am-the-reincarnate-of-Clow-Reed tell you where it is?" She muttered, causing Sakura and Tomoyo to giggle a bit. King Hiiragizawa sent her a tiny smile.  
  
"Because just before Clow Reed died, he erased all his precious memories, to make things interesting for his next life. That would be me." The King pointed at himself and Tomoyo snorted.  
  
"I pity the poor man! If he had to stoop low enough to become you…he must have been desperate!" She giggled, making Sakura burst out laughing.  
  
"Oh, really Tomoyo! I am sure the Clow had no choice who he was reincarnated into. I just pity the fact that he lacks the Cards." Sakura stated, causing Yalan, her son, Meiling, and King Hiiragizawa to jump.  
  
"What did you say?!" Yelan snapped, her face paling. Sakura frowned slightly, realizing what she had just done.  
  
"I said, it is a pity that he doesn't…and never will…have the Clow Cards." Sakura mumbled, making the queen flush in anger. Even King Li looked unsettled, his amber eyes flickering from Sakura to his mother, and back again.  
  
"You are right, because Nadeishiko took them." Yelan snapped. Sakura trembled but raised her chin a bit.  
  
"I didn't mean it that way! What I meant was…the Clow Cards don't exist anymore. It would be pointless to look for them." She whispered.  
  
"Impossible!" King Hiiragizawa shouted his blue eyes flashing.  
  
"WHAT? How do you know?" Yelan shrieked. Sakura trembled again at their voices.  
  
"It is not my place to say. Perhaps you should ask Queen Nadeishiko." Sakura murmured, turning away to place a bag over her shoulders. This caused her to miss the looks that Yelan, Syaoran, Meiling and Eriol sent her.  
  
"Watch her. I don't like the way she knows things that we don't. She could have some valuable information for us." Yelan whispered to her kin. The three nodded, and then went back to placing bags on their back. Suddenly, the door was thrown open, and a shadow crossed the threshold of the door.  
  
"You sent for me, you Majesty?" A voice asked. Everyone looked up to see a handsome young man of about twenty-five, with dark brown hair and piercing brown eyes standing in the doorway. He was quite muscular, and had the air about him of a soldier. For a moment, Meiling's mouth dropped open, and her eyes devoured his appearance. Then, as if being pulled out of a trance, she shook her head and blinked. Yelan, however, remained unfazed.  
  
"Yes we did. Tory, I would like you to accompany these young people on their journey. With only Syaoran, they will need another skilled warrior along, just in case." She stated. The young man, Tory, nodded and then looked around at the younger people. His eyes caught on Sakura, and stayed there. She looked up at him, and smiled, her emerald eyes sparkling merrily at him. She had sensed that he was not a threat to her, so she had decided to make peace, instead of making an enemy. Besides, having half your traveling party mad at you was enough! He eyed her for a moment, and then sent her a small smile, that told her that everything would be fine. She breathed a sigh of relief and then secured another bag on her back. Standing straight, she decided that two heavy bags were enough for her to carry, and she waited for the others to finish packing.  
  
"How is Kero?" A soft voice questioned. Sakura looked up in astonishment to see Tory standing next to her, his eyes on the others progress, but it was obvious that he had been the questioner.  
  
"How did you…" She whispered back, as low as she could. Tory smiled softly.  
  
"The Li's aren't the only kingdom with spies." He said, taking her arm and nodding towards the hallway. Sakura turned wild eyes toward King Li, and then she raised her voice.  
  
"May I please use the restroom?" She called. Yelan looked over and nodded.  
  
"Tory, please escort her to the restroom."  
  
Tory bowed and then lead Sakura out of the room. He lead her down a hallway, and into a small room, that resembled a study.  
  
"We can talk here without being heard, but we had best hurry." Tory suggested. Sakura nodded, and then eyed him.  
  
"Who do you spy for?" She questioned, her sweet voice inquiring. He looked down at her and grinned.  
  
"I spy for my own kingdom. The Kinomoto kingdom." He answered. Sakura gasped and looked him up and down.  
  
"But how did you know that I…that Kero…" She stammered, trying to clear her thoughts. He chuckled.  
  
"Well, you can't expect the prince of the Kinomoto Kingdom to be completely uninformed of goings on with his sister, now can you?" He questioned. Sakura's eyes widened and she choked on her breath of air.  
  
"You what?!" She cried, her emerald eyes flashing shock and confusion. This caused him to chuckle harder.  
  
"Dear, dear Sakura! Haven't you guessed who I am? I am Prince Kinomoto Touya, son of King Kinomoto Fujitaka and Queen Kinomoto Nadeishiko." He stated calmly, looking straight into her eyes. She took a sharp intake of breath and tears filled her eyes.  
  
"They told me that you and daddy had disappeared. They said you were dead! And you have been here the whole time!" She sobbed. Touya quickly pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair.  
  
"Don't cry, now. They will get suspicious if your eyes are red." He whispered, drying her tears with a handkerchief. She sniffed and smiled at her older brother.  
  
"Mother is fine…I think. After I came here, something happened, but I don't know what it was. I can still feel her, though." Sakura whispered. Touya nodded.  
  
"Good. Someday, our family will be reunited, and no more will hatred reign. Until then, you must hide the fact that you are the Card's mistress. By the way…where is Cerberus?" Touya asked, frowning slightly. Sakura giggled.  
  
"In my pocket, asleep." She answered. He grinned and then walked towards the door.  
  
"We had best be getting back. They will be wondering where we have gotten to. Oh, and do not become attached to me, or else they will become suspicious." He warned. She nodded, resolving not to tell anyone about her finding her brother. Then she followed her brother…no, Tory, out of the room and back to the front hall, where her friends…and enemies waited for her return.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	8. Escape, and Tomoyo's rant

Daphne: All right! I finally got it done, after months of writers block, getting the chapters lost, and trying to find them again! Anyway, please forgive me for taking so long, and I hope that you enjoy this. It is a *very* short chapter, but it holds a lot of hidden meanings, so watch carefully! Have fun!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
World Beyond the Mist  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 7.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"All right, then. Where do we start?" Chiharu taunted, as she, her group of friends, King Hiiragizawa and King Li entered the forest later that afternoon. The two kings turned and glared at her, daring her to say another word. Tory stood off to the side, watching Sakura closely. The girl's eyes were drooping, and it was obvious that she was already tired, even though the journey had not even begun.  
  
"Perhaps we should just plan where to spend the night, first, then worry about where we are going tomorrow." He finally suggested. King Li glared at him.  
  
"We have to make good time, before we sleep. We should attempt to make it at least an hour into the journey before we set up camp." He snapped. Tory glared at him.  
  
"If you haven't noticed, these girls are exhausted. They hardly got any sleep at all last night!" He reminded them. Sakura shot him a thankful smile, but the king wasn't going to listen. Instead, he pushed them into a two-hour walk through the woods, trying to reach a place he deemed good enough for them to stay. By the time the two hours were up, Meiling was complaining loudly about her feet hurting, and the other girls were falling behind and stumbling, trying to keep their footing on the un-even forest floor.  
  
"How much longer, Xiaolang?!" Meiling whined for the seventh time that hour. King Li growled, but said nothing. Behind him, Sakura was looking anxiously at the 'Queen', who had started to become weaker.  
  
"Are you all right, Mirror?" Sakura whispered. Mirror's faced turned towards her, and through the veil, Sakura could just barely see the tired eyes beneath.  
  
"I don't think that I will be able to hold this form much longer, Mistress." She answered back. Sakura could feel how desperately the card needed rest, and she felt horrible. But how to get rid of the 'Queen', without causing suspicion to rise?  
  
"Tomoyo, Mirror is getting tired." Sakura whispered. Tomoyo frowned and looked discretely over her shoulder, at the exhausted card.  
  
"The 'Queen' will have to escape, somehow. Tonight, when everyone is asleep, we will return her to her true form." Tomoyo suggested. Sakura nodded, but then frowned.  
  
"But they are sure to put one of the men on guard duty. Perhaps if we wait until they put Tory on duty..." Sakura whispered. Tomoyo looked confused.  
  
"Why Tory?"  
  
"Just trust me." Sakura answered, turning back. She did not notice that King Hiiragizawa Eriol was standing quite near to them, smirking.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Tory, you get first watch." Eriol stated, as they prepared to sleep. The girls looked at each other in happiness. What luck! King Li glared at Eriol, but the other young man paid him no mind, laying down and turning his back to them. Syaoran growled and then copied the other man, while Meiling snuggled up close to his back, much to his disgust.  
  
Chiharu snuggled down into Yamazaki's arms, and fell asleep almost immediately, but Sakura and Tomoyo worked to stay awake long after they had all fallen to sleep. Taking Yamazaki's slight snores as a cue, both Tomoyo and Sakura raised their heads, looking at where Tory sat nearby. He was carving something into a piece of wood, and humming a song. The girls grinned at each other.  
  
"Take Mirror out of sight, into the forest. I will distract Tory." Sakura whispered, her voice no more than a breath of air. Tomoyo nodded and got up, taking the 'Queen' with her. Sakura cautiously made her way over to Tory and sat down next to him. He smiled, but didn't look up.  
  
"Father used to like to carve things for me in his spare time. He would make wonderful toys and such. When he disappeared, I took it up, making something for him once every year. This is for you, though." Tory said thoughtfully. Sakura leaned over, and saw that he was carving a lovely, decorative sakura blossom with vines in the background, into the wood. She gasped with delight and fingered the delicate design.  
  
"It's lovely! I can't wait until it's done." She whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder. For someone she had never known, she sure got used to the fact he was her brother pretty quick. He smiled again and continued carving.  
  
"You had better go meet Tomoyo. She will be getting impatient." He whispered, looking sly. Sakura gasped at his words, but stood up obediently and went to find her cousin.  
  
"What took you so long? Poor Mirror has almost had it. We have to change it back fast." Tomoyo whispered, as she motioned to the card, which was now sitting on a stump, looking exhausted.  
  
"Thank you, Mirror. We owe you so much. Now, how about a rest?" Sakura murmured, calling it back into it's card. Mirror smiled at her mistress, and then disappeared into her card.  
  
"Sleep well." Sakura whispered to the card as she and Tomoyo quickly made their way back to the camp. They had to get some sleep. It was going to be bad enough when the King's found out about the missing 'Queen', so they might as well get a good nights sleep!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Get up, you!"  
  
Sakura moaned and opened her eyes, only to see a pair of cold amber ones staring right back.  
  
"HOEEEEEEE!!!!" She shrieked, jumping backwards into Tomoyo, who woke up as well.  
  
"Where is she?" Syaoran snapped, grabbing Sakura's wrist in a firm grip. Sakura yelped at his touch and pretended to play dumb.  
  
"Where is who?" This did not make him any happier.  
  
"The Queen! Where is she?" He hissed, tightening his grip. Sakura flinched and sighed.  
  
"I suppose she escaped, just like she had been planning to do ever since she came here." Sakura answered finally. Syaoran growled.  
  
"Then why did she leave you?"  
  
"She can certainly get more maid-servants back at home! She didn't need us. We are just servants, after all." Sakura whispered. Behind her, Tomoyo flinched at her words. For the first time since they had met him, Syaoran seemed to be at a loss for words.  
  
"She just left you here, even though she knew you might die?" Eriol asked softly, keeping his eyes on the nervous Tomoyo. Sakura nodded, but said nothing. Behind them, Tory/Touya was flexing his fists dangerously, looking venomously at King Li.  
  
"Well then, we will continue this without her. She wouldn't dare to send an army on us, so we have nothing to fear. Besides. You must know where the room is, since you worked with her." Meiling sniffed. Tomoyo's patience snapped.  
  
"Of course we know where the room is! Everyone who works for the queen knows where the room is, don't they Meiling? Therefore, you tell us where it is, since you are so smart! Oh, wait! I've forgotten. The queen didn't know, nor do we, so obviously, a snotty little traitor like you would either, would you? If we ever get out of this, I swear to the throne that I will see to it the queen beheads *you* first!" The raven haired girl screamed, her eyes flashing and her mouth quivering.  
  
"Tomoyo..." Sakura breathed, but Tomoyo held up her hand.  
  
"I am tired of your lies, Meiling. I thought we were friends. I thought that I could trust you. But I couldn't. None of us could. That is all you are Meiling. The Li's play-toy, their spy. You are nothing more, nothing less. They couldn't care less if you were a princess. In fact, I can almost promise you that they wouldn't even blink if you were to suddenly up and die. They would just find another spy, another that they could play with and make do their dirty work." By now, Tomoyo was crying softly, and she turned away quickly, striding away from them. Sakura whimpered and followed, intent on comforting her cousin. Eriol was smirking, while Syaoran simply looked shocked; Meiling, however, was sobbing softly, her head in her hands.  
  
This was turning out to be the best trip in history, let me assure you.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	9. Groups of trouble

World Beyond the Mist  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 8.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I suggest we split up."  
  
"WHAT?!?!"  
  
The whole group had stopped to rest on Meiling's plea, and Eriol has shocked the group with this suggestion. They had been searching for Clow Reed's room now, for over eight days, with no success.  
  
"Why?" Sakura asked softly. The trip had taken its toll on her, and she had no energy to argue.  
  
"If we split into groups of two, we have a better chance of finding the room." Eriol told them. Meiling opened her mouth to argue, but Syaoran interrupted.  
  
"Good idea." Syaoran stated. Tomoyo turned pale, knowing that she would be separated from Sakura and Chiharu; she was right.  
  
"I will go with her." Eriol said, pointing at Tomoyo.  
  
"Meiling, you will stay with Tory..."  
  
"WHAT?!?!"  
  
"That's fine." Tory/Touya said quickly. Meiling shot him a glare.  
  
"Zack, you're with Chiharu, and Syaoran, you take her." He motioned to Sakura. Syaoran growled, but didn't argue. Sakura nodded, her eyes downcast.  
  
"Good. We'll go this way. Zack, you start Westward, and Tory, you try South. Syaoran, you'll go north." Eriol commanded, helping a slightly shaking Tomoyo, to her feet.  
  
"Good." Syaoran growled, helping Sakura up, surprisingly gently. Tomoyo quickly rushed to her friend's side, hugging her tightly.  
  
"Don't let him break you, Sakura-chan." She whispered. Sakura nodded, then turned and followed Syaoran into the dense forest, looking back only once to catch Tory's eye.  
  
"Come on." Tory/Touya growled, dragging the complaining Meiling away. Chiharu shot Tomoyo a scared look, then followed Yamazaki into the forest. Tomoyo's shoulders slumped and she turned away from Eriol so he couldn't see the tears in her eyes. Suddenly, a gentle hand rested on her shoulder comfortingly.  
  
"It will be alright, Lady. I separated us for a reason."  
  
"To find Clow Reed's magical room..."  
  
"No. To prove a point. Now come. We have to hurry." Eriol murmured, taking her hand and leading her into the forest.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"What now?"  
  
"We wonder through the forest, acting like we're looking for the room?" Yamazaki suggested. Chiharu snorted at this and shot him a grin.  
  
"What is so important about this room anyway? I mean, its only a room." She stated. Zack frowned.  
  
"The great Clow Reed was rumored to do all his magic there, including making the Clow Cards. The cards are rumored to still be there." He told her, pulling her close. She smiled.  
  
"Chiharu...what was your home like?" He finally asked. She looked thoughtful.  
  
"It was...very different from here. Not many places were ruled by monarches, there were also Presidents, Prime Ministers, Corrupted leaders, and military rulers. Where I lived, a President ran the country. We had neighborhoods, not villages, and our houses were not as...simple as yours are."  
  
"And your family?"  
  
"I was an only child. I had...*have* a mom and a dad and a can named 'Tweety'." She giggled at the name, and he smiled.  
  
"My parents died when I was little, and Queen Yelan took me in. I became a spy willingly, but Tomoyo changed my mind. She's a good friend, you know." He admitted. Chiharu cuddled into his arms and the stopped walking.  
  
"She is." She murmured. He pulled her even closer and kissed her cheek, causing her to giggle.  
  
"So, what do you want to do?"  
  
"Go home..." She sighed. Zack's face fell.  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"...home to the Daidouji Kingdom, I mean." She corrected quickly. His smile returned.  
  
"Well, that just happens to be in this direction." He stated, beginning to lead her away.  
  
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Chiharu giggled.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I'm tired."  
  
"Too bad."  
  
"You are a guard in the King's army! You will do as I say!" Meiling hissed, her face screwing up in a frown. Touya turned towards her and growled. She had been complaining the whole three hours that they had been walking, and he had had enough. With one swift movement, he grasped both her arms and shoved her roughly against a tree.  
  
"Listen to me, *princess*. I might as well tell you that you may never see your precious King again, now that you have been put under my care." He spat, his eyes blazing. Meiling shuddered and turned pale.  
  
"Wh...what?"  
  
"I am not an ally, you little fool. I am a spy, just like you were. I also have no qualms in admitting that I am the Prince Touya of the Kinomoto Kingdom, and I have no plans to release you back to your home after this is all through."  
  
"THAT'S A LIE! HE'S DEAD!" Meiling shrieked, looking terrified.  
  
"IT'S NOT! I am quite alive and have been my whole life, hiding from you and your monstrous family!" He seethed. Then a slight smile appeared on is lips.  
  
"And to add to your shock, that little angel that was dragged off by your 'wonderful King', happens to be my baby sister, Princess Sakura Kinomoto. And the one that went with King Eriol? She's my cousin, Queen Tomoyo Daidouji." Touya announced, smirking in triumph. Meiling choked and slumped against the tree behind her.  
  
"How..."  
  
"Both Sakura and my mother got to safety before your kingdom attacked us all those years ago. How Sakura came to be here, now, is a mystery to me. But I do know that if King Li lays a hand on her, he will regret it for whatever life he has left before I get to him. The same goes to King Hiiragizawa and my cousin." He hissed. Meiling started for a moment, then she burst into tears.  
  
"I'm going to die!"  
  
"I can neither confirm nor deny that. Behave, and I might just make you a prisoner of war."  
  
"There's no war!"  
  
"You're kingdom kidnapped my sister and the Queen of a land. Unless I miss my guess, that is an act of war." He snapped, his eyes blazing.  
  
"All this time, you were a spy. Does Sak...Kinomoto-san know?"  
  
"Sakura knows. That little bathroom break that she took at your palace was very...informative for the both of us. I learned that my mother is alive, and that my sister was safe. She learned that she had a means of escape if she ever needs it. And now that I have you, I have a way to...bribe your family into freeing mine...or maybe Tomoyo was right. Perhaps they don't care one straw about you, and they will let us keep you." He murmured, pretending to look thoughtful. Meiling's face crumbled.  
  
"They don't. And Syaoran couldn't care less." She whimpered, near tears again.  
  
"Have you ever wondered why?"  
  
"No." Her voice was no more than a whisper.  
  
"You push yourself on people, without thinking of the consequences. You made friends with Tomoyo and Sakura and their friends. Why did you break their trust? They liked you." His voice was softer now, and he was leaning against a tree across from her's.  
  
"I thought..."  
  
"...that it would make the King like you. I understand. You care for him, just like I care for my family. So we're even. You took my family, and now I'll take you." He stated. For some reason, Meiling found herself smiling.  
  
"Fair, I suppose." She muttered. For the first time in a while, Touya grinned, a real, true smile.  
  
"Come on, Princess. I think I should invite you to my kingdom for a while." He said, helping her up. Meiling raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Invite me?"  
  
"Yup. Come on."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"We'd better rest." Eriol suggested. Tomoyo glared at him.  
  
"You mean, sleep. I refuse to go a step further tonight." She informed him, plopping down on a log. He turned and smiled at her.  
  
"Fine. But you will have to, to set up camp." He chuckled. She wrinkled her nose at him, but quickly set up her sleeping blanket and helped him to make a fire, though she made sure to sit on the opposite side of the small inferno.  
  
"Are you cold, my Lady?" He asked, his voice genuinely worried. Tomoyo sniffed and tried to control her shivers.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Royalty shouldn't lie." He informed her. Tomoyo jumped and shot him a heated stare.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"You heard me, your royalness." He smirked, coming around the fire with a blanket in his arms. Tomoyo shivered and edged away from him as he slid it over she shaking shoulders.  
  
"You're nutty."  
  
"And you hide too much. Did you honestly think that no one would notice?" He asked, sitting next to her. Tomoyo's eyes widened and she began to quake with fear.  
  
"I don't understand what you're saying." She whimpered. He smiled.  
  
"Oh, I think you do. The 'Queen' that came with us, had the same aura as you, Miss Handmaiden." He informed her. Tomoyo growled.  
  
"So?"  
  
"I am the reincarnate of Clow Reed. I know the aura's of the cards. That wasn't the Queen. You are. That was a Clow Card." He stated, his eyes shut. Tomoyo shook her head.  
  
"The Clow Cards don't exist anymore." She reminded him. His face hardened.  
  
"You lie."  
  
"I'm not. They are no longer the Clow Cards. They're the Sakura Cards, and they belong to Sakura, and you're not taking them away from her! They are a part of her, and it would kill her to have them taken away." Tomoyo cried. Eriol's eyes widened.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes. They are also close to her, and they need her as their mistress. No one else. Aunt Nadeshiko realized this. That is why she took them with her when she escaped into the human world with Sakura."  
  
"Wait! Sakura is a Kinomoto?"  
  
"She's the Princess, if you must know. She and her mother were hiding in the human world for about sixteen years of her life, before the accident happened and she came here." Tomoyo stated. Eriol nearly choked.  
  
"She's the princess?" He gulped. Tomoyo nodded.  
  
"So you got a double deal. Me, the Queen, and Sakura, the Princess. Any more lucky and you could have gotten her brother...oh, wait! He's dead!" She hissed. Eriol flushed.  
  
"That wasn't..."  
  
"Don't tell me it wasn't your fault. It was our enemies fault. My mother's death, my uncle's, my cousin's. Everything I knew was distroyed when you attacked our kingdoms. Your hate of my Aunt's decisions, killed everything that I held dear. Your greed just took the only person who truly knew and understood me, away! And now you are saying that it's not your fault? You put Sakura into the hands of a man who couldn't care less about her, or her well-being, and you say it isn't your fault?" Tomoyo shouted, her voice echoing in the silent night. Eriol lowered his head, avoiding the burning gaze.  
  
"I didn't mean for it to happen..."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure you didn't. Your kingdom...your alliances, distroyed everything! Everything! And all you can say is that you didn't mean for it to happen? Everything happens for a reason, *King*, thus the reason Aunt Nadeshiko had the Clow Cards in her possession. Why battle against that? Why did they attack our kingdoms, then?" Tomoyo asked, her voice near tears. Eriol looked up and met her eyes.  
  
"Hatred. Jealousy. But you cannot blame that on me. It was our parent's rivalry, not ours...not until now. My father believed that the cards rightfully belonged to us, due to the fact that I was the reincarnate of Clow Reed. The Li's agreed to this, owning to the fact that they were Clow's descendants. Syaoran, Meiling and I were just dragged into it when we were old enough to understand our parent's point of view. We never knew the destruction that your kingdoms went through until Meiling and Yamazaki became spies." He stated. Tomoyo looked shocked.  
  
"How could it be hidden from you?!"  
  
"Easily. Simply tell a child that all is right in their world, and they'll believe it. Tell them that they are fighting for peace, and they'll believe it. Tell them that what they are doing is right, and they will trust you. That is the way a child's mind works, Tomoyo." He snapped, his patience waning. Tomoyo frowned, a few tears dropping from her eyes.  
  
"It is still no excuse. We have fought so hard to keep our people alive and give them hope to live. You have had everything handed to you on a silver platter. Our people suffered while yours prospered on our losses. That hurts us, your majesty, and makes us hate you all the more. I don't think I have ever hated anyone before, but this feeling running through my veins as I look at you could be nothing less." She murmured. Eriol looked startled.  
  
"You hate me?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"Why?" He asked, still startled. She frowned.  
  
"Your ignorance. You act as if you know everything, and yet you know nothing outside of your own world and thoughts. You could care less about my people, I can see it in your eyes. And that makes me hate you more. You are a selfish man, Hiiragizawa, who wouldn't care how many men died for your cause, as long as you get your way." She hissed, angry tears falling onto her pale cheeks.  
  
"I am not..."  
  
"YOU ARE! You are selfish, and cruel, and reckless, and ignorant, and so many other things. And I HATE you for it! I hate you!" She cried. His temper snapped.  
  
"Say that one more time and I'll...!"  
  
"I HATE YOU!" She sobbed, her hand connecting with his cheek. Eriol's eyes blazed and he grasped her wrist in a strong, yet gentle grip. His eyes tore into her's, and she balked, hot, angry tears still dripping down her cheeks. Something tore at Eriol's heart, and his anger died, replaced by a new awareness.  
  
"You could never hate anyone, Tomoyo. It's not in your nature." He murmured, moving her hand to his lips, and kissing it. Tomoyo stared with shocked, wide eyes. His other hand caught her other wrist, and he kissed that hand as well. Then his lips found their way to her temple, and caressed her soft skin.  
  
"We all make mistakes, Tomoyo. I had no idea of your troubles, and I'm sorry." He mumbled into her ear, gently nipping at it. Tomoyo gasped and stiffened, the emotion that she was sure had been hate, was now racing through her veins once again, this time, quicker.  
  
"I'm sorry for what my parents did." He whispered, kissing one cheek.  
  
"I'm sorry for everything I put you through." Another kiss on the other cheek.  
  
"I'm sorry." He whispered, capturing her lips with his. Tomoyo couldn't move, for her mind was dulled with pleasure from this kiss. Her skin tingled pleasantly at his touch, and she realized that the *hatred* she had been feeling, was actually immense pain, now washed away and replaced by some other, wondrous emotion.  
  
"Forgive me." He breathed, pulling away slightly. Tomoyo leaned forward and her lips caught his. This kiss was longer, and his hands left her wrists, to slide around her waist, while her hands found his neck and encircled it. Then, she pulled back, her eyes sparkling with mischief.  
  
"Why should I?" She asked. His face broke into a grin and all pain was gone from it.  
  
"Because you need me." He whispered.  
  
"OH?"  
  
"Yes. And because I have something...that might make things a little easier. Perhaps...you would know." He murmured, placing light kisses on her lips. All thoughts of their past argument melted away like snow.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Here. Read this." He said, pulling a small piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it to her. Tomoyo frowned, opened the paper, and began to read.  
  
//To my dearest daughter,  
  
You shall never receive this. The peace is gone and Namair is approaching his goal.but I shall never allow him to reach it. Only when the four stones of Rheum are returned to the 'frame', will peace return to our world. Four stones scattered in the dead of night, each must return to the hands of its color.  
  
The hands.soulmates, my daughter. Soulmates.but you shall never know. You are safe in their world. Your mother's world. And you, my daughter, will never know of us, god willing, my little flower will stay safe and never know of the horror that has taken place. Never...//  
  
"OH!" Tomoyo gasped as she read, her eyes wider than ever.  
  
"See? Do you know to whom it was written?"  
  
"Sakura! It was Sakura's father who wrote this, I'm sure! But...how did you come upon it?" Tomoyo gasped. Eriol shrugged.  
  
"My father had it in his study. I found it while cleaning out one of his desks. Namair, you see, is the name of Syaoran's father, and is probably referring to when he attacked the Kinomoto kingdom. The four stones of Rheum, are mystical stones that Clow Reed used...but for what I do not know. The soulmates...I have no idea what that is supposed to mean." He finished. Tomoyo looked thoughtful.  
  
"The stones must have been hidden somewhere...but where? The letter says 'the dead of night', but what is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Well, they must have been in his possession. Maybe he was the one who hid them." Eriol said thoughtfully.  
  
"Perhaps." Tomoyo said thoughtfully, fingering the amethyst necklace that she always wore.  
  
"What is that?" Eriol asked, gently fingering the amethyst stone. Tomoyo smiled.  
  
"My mother gave it to me before...well, she gave it to me. Sakura has an identical one, except her's is a pink diamond and is shaped like a star." Tomoyo commented. Eriol frowned.  
  
"I have one too." He stated, holding it out. It was a sapphire, shaped like a cat, on a silver chain. Tomoyo shivered as she touched it, a strange feeling running through her fingers. Eriol had felt the same thing when he had touched her necklace, but chose not to mention it.  
  
"Syaoran has one too. His is a emerald wolf. He found his in a stream-bed, once when we were small. Mine...I found it sitting on a rock in the middle of a clearing. I was quite sure it belonged to someone, but when no one claimed it, I kept it for my own." He murmured. Tomoyo nodded, thinking. Neither of them had noticed that she was snuggled tightly in his arms by now, her back against his firm chest.  
  
"WAIT! Four stones...four necklaces...four people! It all fits, Eriol! See? The four stones of Rheum!" She exclaimed. Eriol's eyes widened.  
  
"We have to find Sakura and Syaoran!" He muttered, beginning to stand. Tomoyo giggled and pulled him back down.  
  
"First thing tomorrow. Right now, we should sleep." She murmured. Eriol looked reluctant, but agreed. He quickly moved his things over next to hers, and then formed their blankets into one big sleeping space. They both laid down, Tomoyo wrapped snugly in his arms.  
  
After a while, her breathing became deep and regular, and Eriol took this chance to look at the angel in his arms. He smiled, kissing her forehead.  
  
"I love you Tomoyo, even if you don't love me." He murmured.  
  
"I've loved you since that day...in the arena." He mumbled, as he too, fell asleep.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	10. Revealing of truths

World Beyond the Mist  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 9.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Four long and trying hours, Sakura and Syaoran walked almost non-stop through the forest. Poor Sakura was so exhausted, that she had stopped looking at the surrounding scenery and was now quite familiar with the sight of her own feet.  
  
Through those long hours, not a word had been spoken between the two of them, not even a 'rest' or 'look at that flower'. Utter silence, save for the crunching of rock and wood under their feet. Little by little, Sakura's strength was waning, and she felt her stony resolve to never allow him to see her weaknesses, weaken.  
  
Syaoran had kept his eyes on the trail ahead of them, never looking back, but still keeping all his senses tuned on her movement and the movement in the surrounding forest. Then, all at once, there was a soft rustle behind him and he turned abruptly, only to see Sakura slumped on the ground, her face deathly pale.  
  
With a jolt of alarm, Syaoran quickly went to her side, pulling her into his arms and checking her to make sure it was only a faint; luckily for him, it was. With a soft sigh, he took out his water canteen and poured a bit of water on her face. With a moan, emerald green eyes opened and locked with amber. There was silence as these two 'foes' gazed at each other, both thinking of how strange the situation was.  
  
"Are you all right, girl?" Syaoran finally asked, trying to harden his voice, but not succeeding. Sakura frowned.  
  
"I have a name. It's Sakura, and yes, I'm fine...I think. I just need to rest." She murmured, her eyes shutting again. Syaoran looked around himself and noticed that not twenty paces away, there was a nice little clearing, perfect for a campsite.  
  
"Don't scream." He commanded, picking her up. Sakura's eyes opened and she gasped, but made no other sounds. He gently carried her into the clearing, then laid her down on a soft bed of moss. The sun was riding low over the horizon, and it was becoming dark. Luckily, he noticed that there were several dry, fallen trees in this area, which would make perfect fire-logs and kindling.  
  
"Stay here. I'll be right back." He murmured, hurrying to finish setting up the camp. Sakura followed him with her eyes, shocked at his strange behavior. But she soon felt tired and closed her eyes.  
  
When Syaoran returned, he noticed that she had fallen asleep again, and quickly set about making a fire to keep her warm. Now, even he did not understand his sudden worry for the girl, but he did know that he had to get her warm...and quickly.  
  
After the fire burnt to a reasonable level, he quickly put some food on to cook, and sat back on his sleeping blanket, staring into the flames. They licked at the cool night air in a way that seemed almost greedy, and the warm orange color seemed to almost turn into red as he stared.  
  
"Why did you do it?" Came a soft voice. Syaoran turned abruptly and saw Sakura staring at him. He frowned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Attack our kingdom." At her words, icy anger raced through his veins.  
  
"You had something that rightfully belonged to us. You have no right to keep it from us, so we are forcing you to give it back." He spat, sticking a long pole into the fire and stirring it around a bit. Sakura's eyes bore into his.  
  
"They belong to the people they were destined for. Not those who supposedly, 'rightfully' own them. And I don't think you will ever get them, because they are in the hands of the ones who were destined for them." Sakura said softly, leaning back. Syaoran frowned and opened his mouth to snap at her, but she held up a white hand.  
  
"Don't speak, please. Let me try to explain. Your father...he wanted to find the room for power reasons, am I correct?" Sakura asked. Syaoran grudgingly nodded, his eyes filling with dislike at the mention of his father.  
  
"But you...you want them because you are the descendants of Clow Reed. Your greed lies in lineage rights, while your father's lay in power. But did you ever wonder why Clow Reed erased his memories? Perhaps it was because he knew that you would feel jealousy and anger if you knew that his things had fallen into different hands...hands he believed would care for them and use them better. Or at least appreciate them for their true meaning, as just things of companionship and love." Sakura went on. Syaoran stared at her.  
  
"Companionship and love?" He asked, his voice holding no venom, only curiosity.  
  
"Clow Reed created the cards and his other magical things, because he wanted something to care for...something to live for. He would have wanted his heirs and descendants, in this case, to love them for the same reasons he did. Not for power or fame or family right, but because they loved them, and would give themselves and the cards something to live for." Sakura stated. Then her eyes dropped as tears entered them.  
  
"How do you know this?" Syaoran asked, after a short pause of removing the food from the fire and giving her some. Sakura looked up from her meal and winced.  
  
"I have my ways."  
  
"You said something about your looking like Queen Kinomoto Nadeshiko, to my mother that first day. What did you mean?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. She winced again.  
  
"Do you hate me?" She asked suddenly. Syaoran was taken aback.  
  
"No."  
  
"Would you keep a secret, then?" She asked nervously, her emerald eyes pleading with his. Syaoran, who had never had such a conversation in his life (of course, he had rarely had any conversations), nodded uncertainly.  
  
"I *do* look like Nadeshiko. Can you guess why?"  
  
"No." This was starting to get old.  
  
"I am her daughter." Sakura said softly, her eyes lowering to her food. Syaoran sat, gaping, unable to say a word. In all his eighteen years, Syaoran had never felt this way. Shock, hurt, anger, confusion, loss, and something else, raced through his veins as he looked at the petite girl next to him.  
  
"You are Princess Sakura?" He asked, his voice disbelieving, and yet, believing at the same time. She nodded silently.  
  
"And your mother was right. My mother did take the Clow Cards with her when we escaped from this world. Our mothers were best friends, you know, besides Aunt Sonomi, and they knew practically everything about each other." Sakura stated. Syaoran turned betrayed eyes towards her.  
  
"No, I did not know, actually. Our mothers were friends? How did that happen?" His voice was like steel, and she shrank back.  
  
"They had been since childhood. But when my mother fell in love with, and married my father, your mother took that as an act of betrayal and cut off any acquaintance with her. I suppose I gave her quite a shock, letting her see my face, which looks so much like my mother's, after all these years." Sakura murmured. For some reason, Syaoran felt a wave of laughter hit him, and he began to laugh out loud, startling her.  
  
"I'll bet it did. I can't say she didn't deserve it." He chuckled. Sakura's bright smile bloomed out.  
  
"You laughed! You should do that more often, Syaoran, for it makes you look handsome." She stated, snuggling closer to his side, her eyes drooping. Syaoran stared at her in shock, then wondered what had started this change that was overcoming him.  
  
Even he could feel it. He felt happier, less dissatisfied with his life and the people around him. He didn't mind showing his emotions, and laughing was like a refreshing drink of water after days in the desert. He smiled, and looked at the girl next to him, who was now close to sleep.  
  
"How do you know so much, Sakura?" He asked, never noticing that it was the first time he had actually spoken her name. Sakura looked at him sleepily.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Clow Reed."  
  
"My mother took the Clow Cards and gave them to me. Guess who opened the book." She murmured. Somehow, this didn't surprise him, and he felt no hate towards the lovely girl who was now laying in his arms.  
  
"Can I see them?"  
  
"Tomorrow. And they aren't the Clow Cards any more. They are the Sakura Cards." Her voice was no higher than a whisper. Syaoran smiled.  
  
"Hence the reason you said the *Clow* cards didn't exist, right?"  
  
"Um-hm."  
  
"Good night, Princess Sakura."  
  
"Um-hm."  
  
Syaoran smiled once again, and pulled her blanket over both of them, (they were reclining on his). Then he too closed his eyes, never thinking back on his choice to show his emotions to her. He knew it was the right one.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Chiharu? We're here." Yamazaki whispered to the girl on in his arms. Poor Chiharu was so exhausted that she had fallen asleep as they walked through the forest, and he had picked her up. The girl murmured and opened her eyes, gazing at him tiredly.  
  
"Really?" She asked, looking around at their surroundings. They were standing directly in front of the Daidouji palace.  
  
"Now what do we do?" She asked. He smiled.  
  
"Return to our roles as servants. I mean, the queen must have returned by now." He murmured. Chiharu shrugged.  
  
"Who knows. Maybe. Let's go!"  
  
"You're always saying that."  
  
"And we always do!" She laughed, getting down and dragging him into the towering building.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"We're here." Touya murmured. Meiling looked around in awe. Unlike the Daidouji Kingdom, since the royal family had disappeared, the Kinomoto kingdom had not been touched. It had been ruled by the Kinomoto's strong and loyal army for many years now, and had lived in peace.  
  
A pure white castle lay nestled in the valley below, it's turrets rising high into the air. Many small villages were scattered all about the valley around it, and a small river flowed from a waterfall near the edge of the valley. Trees hid most of the homes and streets from view, but Meiling could just see a few peeking out of the woodland.  
  
"OH! It's lovely! This is your home?" She gasped, her eyes wide with wonder. Not even the famous Li's had anything as splendid or beautiful as this!  
  
"Yes. The palace is made entirely of white marble, though some of the rooms are lined with wood walls." He remarked, chuckling a bit.  
  
She was about to answer when a spear suddenly came out of nowhere and raced for her heart. She screamed and Touya quickly hit it with a side-chop of his hand, just in time; it was just an inch away from her heart.  
  
"Who are you and why have you trespassed on the Kinomoto lands?" Asked a soft voice, with just an edge of steel to it. Meiling was about to retort when Touya let out a yelp.  
  
"YUKI?! Yukito!!!" Touya cried, his mouth spreading into a smile. The young man who had thrown the spear had short grey-black hair and grey eyes that widened as he heard the voice.  
  
"Touya? TO-YA!!!" Yukito shouted, launching himself at the prince. The two hugged brotherly-like, and then pulled away, grinning at each other.  
  
"I thought you were dead! Everyone was so sure..."  
  
"Nope. I've been alive and kicking the whole time, spying on the Li kingdom." Touya explained. Yukito grinned and looked at the black haired woman behind his friend.  
  
"And who is this?"  
  
"A...prisoner, if you will. She is actually my traveling companion, but she is a Li. King Li's cousin, in fact." Touya explained, as Meiling shrank behind him, hiding from Yukito's glare.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Be kind, Yukito. She's been through a lot." Touya stated, putting a protective arm around Meiling. The young woman looked at him in shock, but didn't move out of his warm embrace. Instead, she snuggled closer, finding extreme comfort in the arms around her. Yukito saw this and nearly fell over, as he realized something that neither of them did. A grin filled his face and his eyes twinkled mischievously.  
  
"Sorry about the spear...but we should get you home! They will be wanting their Prince back, I believe." He chuckled, his eyes still twinkling. Touya smiled.  
  
"Right-o! Come on, Princess. We have a lot to do." He murmured into her ear, causing her to shiver at their closeness. She nodded silently and failed to notice that as his hand clasped hers to lead her away, their fingers intertwined naturally.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Sakura!" Tomoyo shrieked, as she and Eriol came upon the small camp early the next morning. She and Eriol had gotten up early to search for their friends, and had found them surprisingly easily.  
  
The two in question were sound asleep on the ground, sharing a blanket, with another draped over their bodies. Sakura was snuggled into Syaoran's arms, and the young man's head was resting on the top of her head. Both of them wore looks of pure innocence and bliss, that both Eriol and Tomoyo worked hard not to laugh.  
  
At Tomoyo's cry, Sakura let out a soft moan and opened her eyes, while Syaoran's jerked open abruptly and he nearly jumped off the ground in shock.  
  
"Tomoyo? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked in a sleepy voice, not quite awake, yet. Syaoran shot a sleepy glare at Eriol, not yet realizing what a compromising position he was in. Eriol grinned back, his eyes sparkling.  
  
"Made a conquest, ne, cute little descendent?" He teased. Syaoran frowned in confusion, but his face lit with realization as Sakura shifted in his arms. A blush grew on both their cheeks, and they quickly sprang apart. Tomoyo and Eriol exchanged looks, and rolled their eyes.  
  
"You know, if you had paid any attention, you would have noticed where we are, now." Eriol stated, looking pointedly at them. Syaoran and Sakura looked at him in confusion, then Tomoyo gasped.  
  
"LOOK!" She cried, pointing at the other end of the clearing. They all did, and there they saw something that made them jump.  
  
An arch of marble stood tall and gleaming in the morning sun. Behind it, lay a tunnel, lighted by some greenish-blue light.  
  
"That wasn't there last night!" Sakura choked, her eyes wide. Eriol nodded.  
  
"But it's there now. And I know why. Clow Reed only wanted certain people...people he thought worthy of finding the room, to discover it. So he made four necklaces, each baring a stone from the mystical stones of Rheum. The stones were spelled to only appear when their destined master was near." He explained. Tomoyo gasped and pulled her necklace out of her dress.  
  
"You mean, these were what made that arch appear? Because all four of us were here, together?" She asked. Finally, Syaoran and Sakura seemed to be getting it.  
  
"Wait...we are the holders of the Stones of Rheum? How is that possible?" Sakura asked softly. Eriol sighed and handed her the letter he had shown to Tomoyo.  
  
"Read it."  
  
Sakura did, and by the time she was finished, tears were cascading down her cheeks. Syaoran had read the letter over her shoulder, and was now paler than he had ever been.  
  
"Daddy." Sakura whimpered, her fingers caressing the letter gently.  
  
"He knew...even then." Tomoyo murmured. Syaoran growled.  
  
"Of course he did. Everyone was aware that the three most powerful kings of the time were in love with the same woman." He hissed. Tomoyo and Sakura looked at him in shock, while Eriol's shoulders slumped and he looked upset.  
  
"Excuse me?" Tomoyo asked, her eyes flashing. Syaoran lost his angry look and sighed.  
  
"The three most powerful kings back then were my father, Eriol's father, and Sakura's father, Kinomoto Fujitaka. Eriol's father and my own had known Queen Nadeshiko when she was young, and they were both desperately in love with her. They fought over her discretely, each one believing that he would eventually win her heart; but they never counted on *her* falling in love with someone other than them. But she did. King Kinomoto won her heart and she ran away to him willingly, leaving our fathers, heartbroken." Syaoran paused here, and Eriol continued.  
  
"Thus the reason they hated your kingdom so much. They eventually married, though neither really liked their spouse..." Eriol trailed off, his face filled with pain.  
  
"And then your older brother was born, which just deepened their loathing. His birth was a reminder of what they believed they 'should have had'. Yes, they got their sons...Syaoran and myself...but what they truly wanted was taken. Then you were born, Sakura. Your beauty was rumored throughout the land, even at so young an age, and our fathers' greed grew rapidly after that." Eriol stopped, and Tomoyo stared at him, shocked. Sakura was shaking weakly, and her eyes pleaded with Syaoran to give her the answers she so wanted; he complied.  
  
"It wasn't only because of the Clow Cards that they attacked your kingdoms. It was also because our fathers decided to take what they believed to be 'rightfully theirs'. They were planning on killing your brother and father, and taking the Queen and you, Sakura, as their own. They managed the first part, but luckily, failed at the second." Syaoran sighed. Sakura whimpered.  
  
"No, they didn't." She whispered. Everyone looked at her in shock.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"They didn't kill my brother. He got away. In fact, he has been under your noses the whole time." She murmured. They all looked confused and she smiled a bit.  
  
"That guard that came with us, Tory? He is actually Touya, Crown Prince of the Kinomoto Kingdom. He has been watching over me ever since I came here, and now, I believe, has returned to our kingdom to claim the throne...taking your cousin with him, if I'm not mistaken." Sakura giggled a bit, her eyes twinkling at Syaoran. For a moment, humor flickered in his eyes, as he thought of his cousin in that position. Then he became serious.  
  
"What about Queen Daidouji?" He finally managed. The other three grinned at each other and Tomoyo stepped forward.  
  
"Present!" She cried, her eyes sparkling. Syaoran gaped.  
  
"You mean...you...Queen...huh?"  
  
"She's the Queen, Syaoran. She just had to disguise herself, so she wouldn't be in any danger. But I figured it out right away." Eriol boasted. Tomoyo elbowed him and Syaoran smiled warily. Sakura, however, had become quite serious again.  
  
"Syaoran...is that why your mother hates mine...and me? Because your father loved my mother?" She asked. Syaoran nodded.  
  
"Yes. She knew. And it was especially hard for her, I suppose, since your mother was her friend. It must have nearly killed her, knowing that she was married to a man who didn't love her. And look at us. I have four older sisters before me. Having five children with him...I hate him for doing that to her!" He finally burst out, his eyes snapping. Sakura gently hugged him.  
  
"Please don't blame it on mother. She meant no harm. But she loved daddy..."  
  
"I know. I don't blame her. How could she have helped it. I blame our fathers, for being so stubborn and allowing one obsession to ruin their lives." He stated, looking down at her. She smiled up at him and Eriol and Tomoyo grinned at each other.  
  
"You know, we have been out here for quite some time. Shouldn't we go inside and try to find Clow's chamber?" Eriol asked. The two quickly snapped out of their reverie and followed their two snickering friends into the tunnel.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"How much longer?" Sakura whined, her eyes searching the sixth cavern they had entered. Tomoyo was lagging beside her, her face in a scowl. Eriol turned and shrugged.  
  
"How should I now?"  
  
"Not long." Syaoran commented, a grin widening on his face. They all looked at him in confusion, and he smirked.  
  
"Look over there." He commanded, pointing to the far wall of the cavern. There, barely visible, was the outline of a door. A strange mixture of colored light sifted through the barely-there cracks around the door; blue, green, purple and pink mixed together to form a rather strange, yet beautiful combination.  
  
"So we found it...what now?"  
  
"Use the cards." A muffled voice came. Sakura cried out softly and opened one of her bags, revealing a spiral-eyed, tired-looking bear type thing.  
  
"OH! Kero, I'm so sorry! I forgot..."  
  
"That I was in here. Big surprise, Miss I'd-forget-my-head-if-it-wasn't- attached." He moaned, flying up above them. Syaoran and Eriol looked at the little creature in curiosity and amusement, while Tomoyo quickly pulled a container of pudding out of her bag and handed it to him. He began to eat blissfully, while Sakura sifted through her cards, to find the right one.  
  
"Aha. The Windy Card. It can slip through the crack and push the door open from the inside." Sakura stated, her eyes sparkling. The others quickly agreed and she activated the card.  
  
"Windy! Push the door open from the inside!" Sakura cried, as the card did as she asked. There was a flash of intense light that made the four cover their eyes in pain, then silence.  
  
"What happened?" Tomoyo asked, cautiously taking her hands off her eyes. The others did the same and gasped. They were no longer out in the cavern.  
  
Instead, they were in a large room, filled with the multicolored light that they had seen earlier. And now they knew why. The walls, were each covered in a different type of stone, one color for each wall.  
  
The wall across from them was made entirely of green emeralds, all glinting with a inner power. The wall to their right was entirely blue sapphires, and the wall to their left was purple amethysts. The wall at their backs was the strangest of all, however. It was made purely of pink diamonds, identical to Sakura's necklace.  
  
The room was empty, save for one thing. A large picture frame was suspended in mid air, seemingly by nothing. It was slowly turning, and each time, the picture would change to a different part of their world.  
  
"Amazing." Eriol commented, as they walked closer, their eyes pealed to the picture. It had just flashed a picture of a misty field, where horses grazed quietly.  
  
"OH! Sakura look! That's your kingdom!" Tomoyo exclaimed, as the picture changed again. Sakura gasped as she caught sight of the castle.  
  
"Its lovely! I only wish I could see my brother..." At these words, the picture changed again, this time, showing Touya, passionately kissing someone in his arms.  
  
"HOE!!!" Sakura shrieked, as they pulled back. The girl Touya had been kissing was a flushed, but happy-looking Meiling!!! Tomoyo giggled hysterically, and Eriol smirked, while Syaoran chuckled deeply at his cousin's position.  
  
"She won't be chasing me anymore!" He laughed, pulling Sakura into his arms. She snuggled close as the picture changed again, this one, causing them all to jump in shock.  
  
"Mama!" Tomoyo whimpered, her eyes wide. Sakura had tears in her eyes.  
  
"Mom? Daddy?" She asked softly, her eyes plastered to the image. There were three people in it, each one smiling happily. Sakura's mother and father sat in the front, their arms around each other, while Sonomi Daidouji stood behind them, beaming her own smile at her daughter. This time, the image didn't change, though.  
  
"Syaoran, look." Eriol's voice was choked, as he pointed to a corner of the picture-frame. There was a hole in it, shaped like a wolf.  
  
"This is it! This is the 'frame' that your father was talking about in his letter!" Syaoran whispered to Sakura. She nodded and they moved forward, taking off their necklaces in the process. Slowly, Syaoran pressed his wolf into it's slot, that the emerald wall began to glow with even more power.  
  
Then Eriol did his, and the sapphire wall did the same. The girls pressed theirs in at the same time, and there was another flash of light...  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	11. The end of the trail

Daphne: "All right, last chapter, and very short! I hope that you enjoyed this story, and that you will enjoy any others I choose to put out! Please review and tell me what you think!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
World Beyond the Mist  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 10.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"SYAORAN!"  
  
"Sakura, darling!"  
  
"Tomoyo, my dear child!"  
  
The four opened their eyes once again, trying to focus their abused eyes on the images in front of them. Four figures swam in a sea of light-spots, and the great boom of cheers and calls were not helping any. But Syaoran recognized the voice that had called his name.  
  
"Mother?"  
  
"Yes, Xiaolang, I'm here." Came a soft voice, as a hand stroked his cheek. He blinked and the spots disappeared from his eyes. He saw that they were back in the arena, surrounded by smiling faces and cheers. The same thing happened to the others, and Tomoyo gave a sob.  
  
"MOTHER! You're alive!" She cried, throwing herself into the arms of a tall, regal looking woman with brown hair. The woman held her tight.  
  
"Mama! Daddy!" Sakura sobbed, throwing herself into the arms of her parents. Nadeshiko laughed happily as her husband pulled his daughter close.  
  
"I missed you so much, my blossom." He whispered, tears in his own eyes. Sakura smiled.  
  
"And I you. Mama, how?"  
  
"Well, for me, I went to sleep one night in my own bed, and I woke up here, seeing you looking so lovely." Her mother commented.  
  
"For me, I went to sleep, completely thinking that I would be fighting Namair in the morning, but lo, I woke up here, seeing my baby grown up and so beautiful." He murmured. Sonomi had told her daughter relatively the same story, and by the end, Eriol was frowning.  
  
"This is Clow Reed's doing. He knew what was going to happen, hence the reason you fell asleep and woke up *after* we had fulfilled our destinies." He stated.  
  
"So this all had to happen, so peace could return to our world." Tomoyo murmured. Sakura giggled happily.  
  
"And so brother could find his love, as well." She stated. The other's snickered.  
  
"What do you mean, Sakura?" Her father asked. Syaoran smirked.  
  
"When we were in Clow's chamber, we saw Touya in your kingdom, looking quite well and kissing my cousin quite thoroughly." He laughed. His mother, however, looked astonished.  
  
"Meiling..and Prince Touya?" She gasped. Syaoran nodded, and she let out a soft laugh.  
  
"The girl deserves a little happiness. And so do you, my son." She commented, looking down at Sakura. The two blushed, but this didn't stop Syaoran from putting his arms around Sakura, and Eriol from kissing Tomoyo sweetly on the lips.  
  
"I love you, Tomoyo." He murmured. The girl looked up at him and smiled.  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Syaoran looked down at the girl in his arms and kissed her temple, then cheeks, then finally, her lips. They stayed that way for some minutes, clinging to each other like there was no tomorrow.  
  
"I love you, my Sakura." Syaoran whispered as he pulled back. Her emerald orbs opened and she smiled sweetly at him.  
  
"And I love you, my Xiaolang." Was her response, before he pulled her back into a kiss.  
  
"We have some weddings to plan." Yelan stated, looking over at her old friends. Sonomi and Nadeshiko got stars in their eyes.  
  
"Oh, no. Run." Fujitaka commanded to the four nervous-looking young people.  
  
He didn't have to tell them twice!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
THE END  
  
~*~*~*~ 


End file.
